The Wheel of Eternity
by SoulsandSwords
Summary: Three warriors plummet through the gates of an alternate demension. A demension where what they never thought could be possible is happening right before them. Kilik, who is no stranger to battle, must search for the sacred weapon that has caused this malevolent change and the one person who may be the key to reversing the curse... his son, Xiba.


"_Infinity." It refers to anything, anything without limits. It is closer than you think._

**永恒之轮**

**The Wheel of Eternity**

**凌盛苏词，陕西，明 朝 （中国）****1608 A.D.**

**Ling-Sheng Su Temple, Shaanxi, Ming Dynasty (China) 1608 A.D.**

A Japanese sailor stepped through the gates of the Ling-Sheng Su, surrounded by the Zhen Hang Mountains. Quite brooding and mysterious to the eye, yet aware of where he needed to be, the man in his mid-forties plodded leisurely through the Chinese village, women bashfully looked on at the man dressed in white trousers and an open jacket. He was carrying heavy luggage on his back, knowing this was going to be a grueling journey across the sea. Fluent in Chinese Mandarin as well as his own language, he asked an elderly man for directions to an old friend's house.

He was directed to a quaint home at the foot of the training mountain, it overlooked some rolling hills that would eventually lead to a river stream. When he knocked on the sliding door he waited eagerly for either one of the two residents to open up. Much to his pleasure, a familiar young man with short and messy red hair opened up. He had on an unfastened black shirt with some yellow trousers.

The teenager wasn't too sure who this man was and, like a mature young man should, politely asked him to address himself, "Um… _Nĭ hăo_… Who are you?"

Surprised, the dark-haired man widened his eyes and folded his arms, lightly teasing the boy's attempts at being mature, "Who am I?" The Dandy of the South Seas was almost offended, but he couldn't blame him; it had been nearly eleven years, "Well, I guess I shouldn't get too mad. It's not all your fault you don't remember your Uncle Maxi." He chuckled.

The boy before him suddenly remembered and smiled brightly, "Maxi? No way!" The pirate laughed some more as he wrapped his arm around the teenager. The baggage he was carrying was becoming too heavy and he quickly retracted.

"Good to see you. God, you got big!" The sailor chuckled; he hadn't seen the teenager since he was only preschool aged—now he stood at five-foot-five and was built with brawn and a ripped physique. He'd definitely grown up to look like his father. Speaking of whom, "So, where's your pop?" Maxi stepped inside and dropped his bag, leaving the teenager, Xiba, to slide the door closed.

"Not here right now. He's meeting with Master Xiuqiang about… Well, you know." He scratched the back of his head and grimaced slightly. Xiba shook his head and changed the subject, "We were just gonna hang out here tonight. I didn't know anyone was coming."

"I wasn't too sure myself, kiddo. The bad storms almost kept me from sailing over here." Maxi followed the teenager into the tea room, where Xiba was having leisure time, discussing how he and the young man's father had been writing letters for the past decade, the most recent one exclaiming he wouldn't be able to make it to the Ming Empire from Japan due to severe storms… But per usual, the stubborn Maxi defied the odds and beat it by the time he docked at the country. It was the nineteenth of April. As Maxi took off his boots to set them aside he noticed something familiar wrapped around Xiba's neck and waist, "Aren't those your father's?"

The young man chuckled and pointed to what he was probably referring to, "Well, this jacket _was _my dad's…" He'd forgotten to take off the tiger-pelted jacket when he arrived home from training, "But I wear it occasionally, so I guess it belongs to me now. Heh, and this necklace is mine." He held out a pendant made of beads and light stones, "A girl made it for me for well… You know; the celebration."

"Celebration?" The two sat down across a small table from one another, "It's a little more than that… Aside from your birthday, you're receiving Ling-Sheng Su's final sacred treasure." Maxi could see that the topic was making Xiba uneasy—being the wielder of such great power was definitely something worth being nervous about. He sighed, "God… You look just like your dad." His father Kilik had been the preceding wielder of the Kali Yuga before he gave it to his former Master for safe keeping… Nobody of impurities were to touch it, "I remember saying the same thing to you when you were five… But I'm sure you completely disregarded it then." Maxi observed Xiba carefully; his eyes and nose were a replica of Kilik's… If it weren't for his hair it'd be easier to spot the resemblance. It was only when he looked at one straight on that they could see he was his father's son.

Maxi was happy to be with his long term friend and his self-proclaimed godson for a special occasion. On April twentieth, Kilik's only son Chai Xiba would turn sixteen years old and leave with him on a quest to receive the Kali Yuga in the southwestern province of Yunnan. It was such a beautiful place, so peaceful that no one would know that a weapon of massive power was hidden up in the mountains of Diqing. The journey would be exhausting, yet breath-taking, Maxi was sure.

Regardless of the honor he was bringing to the family name, Xiba couldn't help but want to reject the holy weapon. Though his skills were incomparable to his peers and highly praised by the monks, he still felt his hands weren't meant to hold such a staff… That his heart wouldn't accept the sacrosanct rod. Lord forbid his father knew that; Kilik had been so proud since the moment Xiba was announced to be the next wielder by the village's head monk Kong Xiuqiang—the village's most mysterious elder, always hidden away in the great halls of the main temple. Although he _seemed _to be veiled behind walls, he was somehow always watching the students, always observing their tactics and strategies as well as their future goals based on what they tell their trainers.

Some wanted power and fame and wealth, others wanted to be recognized and loved by all… Then there were people like Xiba and Kilik who asked for nothing. Nothing but to live a fruitful and overall satisfying life. Like his son, Kilik didn't ask for praise or fame; he'd only been trained at the temple by monks he considered family to him. When he was given the sacred staff, he made it his top priority to use its spiritual abilities of absorbing good or bad energy for benevolent reasons—to protect the village.

It wasn't until he and his late wife, a swordswoman named Chai Xianghua who'd trained alongside him, had their son that his priorities changed. When Xiba's mother, who to him is a mysterious being that might as well be a ghost, didn't come to pass, the father raised his son with great love and care… He was the most important being to him, and he always would be. Kilik wanted Xiba's life to be as easy as possible; he wanted to be able to predict anything that would possibly happen to him.

But the most predictable thing about life is that it's unpredictable. He wouldn't always be able to protect his son… At least he prepared himself to one day realize that. For now, Kilik made sure Xiba knew he was his treasure, and his son idolized him in return—at least as a child. Xiba fumbled with his fingers and looked away from Maxi—he had copper eyes like his father, "I can't lie, it's been a really stressful spring." He quietly admitted to him, "I can't sleep at night so I go out and train some more, and even then I'm just left tired and sore for the next day; whoever owns the Kali Yuga is expected to protect the village from beasts or demons or…" He sat up, Maxi stiffened, quite aware of what he was talking about.

The Evil Seed.

Only twenty-four years ago did this horrifying event occur that scarred the earth. A malevolent life was casted into the sky and it cursed those who gazed upon it, those who were unholy enough were completely taken over and became a minion to the cursed being. That was also where the Kali Yuga came in, if such a crazed human were to find the Kali Yuga, it's energy could absorb the evil from within the human being and be a weapon of complete destruction.

It had to be in safe keeping, otherwise the planet could be doomed. Kilik was Xiba's age when the Evil Seed occurred, some of the villagers were no exceptions and he had to protect himself from the then possessed men and women he considered family. It was lucky that he and Xianghua were some of the few who were left unaffected, as eight years later were they blessed with Xiba. Kilik wouldn't speak much of Xianghua now, he never would say where she went or if he knew where she was… The boy was content, nonetheless but he was often at times left to believe that his mother left because he was too much to handle.

There hadn't been such a horrid incident since, Maxi loosened his posture and fixed his hair, "Don't worry about it… The staff will be in good hands. I know." He smiled kindly, "You were raised by a good man… I bet he's proud of you."

That was the problem though, he _was_ proud. The two heard the door slide open and back closed, "I'm here, Xiba." A gentle voice beckoned, the voice of a forty-year old father who was still physically strong and despite his age, he didn't mind keeping his dark hair a little wild and short. He had on his silk, blue robes given to them as an expensive gift from his old master who lived in the Diqing Mountains. The man who guarded the Kali Yuga until the next successor arrived. The two men kept quiet as Kilik stepped into the tea room, "Master Xiuqiang said-" He lost his sentence when he saw the old friend before him.

What the monk said about the plans for the next evening were no longer important… The last letter he'd received from said man was only a few days ago, Kilik had practically written in stone that he would not be able to arrive anytime soon… Yet there he was. It had been far too long for the two men, "Maxi?" Kilik smiled. The Japanese man stood up and, without any care, hugged the man as tightly as he could. He was too excited _not _to.

"Told you I'd find a way." He was crushing Kilik, but he kept quiet as he patted his back, too amazed at how he'd arrived quicker than he thought he ever would.

"But what about the storms? Did you have to take an entirely different route?"

"Hey…" Maxi walked over and ruffled Xiba's already wild hair, "Anything for my godson… It's the least I could do after all this time." Xiba chuckled and Kilik, left half-speechless, walked over to the china set.

"You want anything? Tea or…?"

"Nah, it's fine. I've been around sea water, the last thing I need is anything to drink." He'd made a corny joke just like his father would, Xiba thought. He snorted, thinking that the two were perfect for each other.

"Alright then, I guess we can just settle down." Kilik joined a seat next to his son, "Ugh… What was I saying?" Both Kilik and Xiba had a habit of forgetting what they wanted to say only a few seconds after being interrupted. Sometimes they _never_ remembered what it was they wanted to discuss, "Oh! Okay. Master Xiuqiang has asked us to be at the great temple an hour prior to the celebration; he wants to congratulate you himself before the villagers can."

Xiba laughed, "He's also gonna give me some birthday steam buns, right?" Those were his favorite treats—he specifically had them on his birthday, but he could eat them on a daily basis. The two old friends laughed at the teenager's witty sense of humor.

"I'm sure if we ask he might." He simmered down, his happiness becoming more of a lament, "I can't believe the last sixteen years have led up to his. Guess you've been following my footsteps all this time… Soon enough you might even leave to the mountains yourself and guard the staff."

Xiba winced and immediately shrugged that thought off—No, he shoved it away, "You're kidding, right? Once I get the Kali Yuga you said that the village's safety is in my hands!"

"I'm just saying, you have no idea what could happen."

Maxi felt awkward and invisible and cleared his throat, not wanting this lament to go any farther. Kilik shook his head and cheered up, "But, anyhow, I'm glad that Maxi will be here for this… I've been telling him that he needed to see how much you've grown."

"And boy did I. The last time I saw you, you would dangle onto the counters and climb onto our backs. You were our monkey boy."

Xiba blushed and bit his lip uncomfortably, "_Please_ not that nickname."

"You spend a lot of time in trees too!" Kilik pointed out, "I remember I used to tell you that you were born with a tail and we had to cut it off, and you'd believe me!" Xiba, embarrassed, hid his face into the table as the two men went on lovingly slandering him with memories, for as of tomorrow, that child would be no more.

But that probably wouldn't stop them from teasing him occasionally.


End file.
